Sialorrhoea is a common and problematic symptom that arises from a range of neurological conditions associated with bulbar or facial muscle dysfunction. Drooling can significantly affect quality of life due to both physical complications such as oral chapping, and psychological complications such as embarrassment and social isolation. Thicker, tenacious oral and pharyngeal secretions may result...

We have investigated Drosophila salivary gland determination by examining the effects of mutations in pattern forming genes on the salivary gland primordium. We find that the anterior-posterior extent of the primordium, a placode of columnar epithelial cells derived from parasegment 2, is established by the positive action of the homeotic gene Sex combs reduced (Scr). Embryos mutant for Scr lac...

sialolithiasis is a common disease of the major salivary glands, characterized by the obstruction of a salivary gland or its excretory duct due to the formation of calcareous concretions. sialoliths usually measure from 1 mm to <10 mm. they rarely measure more than 15 mm, and infrequently giant salivary gland calculi >15 mm have been reported in the literature. the submandibular gland and its d...

Malaria is an important global public health challenge, and is transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes during blood feeding. Mosquito vector control is one of the most effective methods to control malaria, and population replacement with genetically engineered mosquitoes to block its transmission is expected to become a new vector control strategy. The salivary glands are an effective target tissu...

Salivary glands provide an excellent model for the study of epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. We have looked at the interactions involved in the early initiation and development of murine salivary glands using classic recombination experiments and knockout mice. We show that salivary gland epithelium, at thickening and initial bud stages, is able to direct salivary gland development in non-g...

BACKGROUND Upregulation of heparanase has been reported in an increasing number of human cancer tissues. However, the level of salivary heparanase and its clinical significance in patients with salivary gland tumors remain unclear. METHODS Salivary heparanase levels in patients with salivary gland tumors were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and the clinical signific...

The human kallikrein 13 protein (hK13) is expressed in many normal tissues. Petraki et al have previously described presence of hK13 in salivary gland tissue, localized to duct epithelia and some acinar cells. The aim of this study was to determine whether hK13 is expressed in salivary gland tissues and salivary gland tumors (both benign and malignant), in order to compare normal with tumor tis...

AIMS To evaluate cytokeratin (CK) 7/20 expression patterns in salivary gland neoplasia. METHODS AND RESULTS Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue from 153 salivary gland tumours were evaluated for CK7/20 immunoreactivity. The tumours included pleomorphic adenoma (n = 24), myoepithelioma (n = 9), papillary cystadenoma (n = 3), oncocytoma (n = 2), adenoid cystic carcinoma (n = 22), mucoepider...

Salivary α-amylase is the most important enzyme for oral digestion of dietary starch. Therefore, regeneration of the salivary glands via a tissue engineering approach is clearly required for patients with salivary gland dysfunction. Early during seed germination, the embryo synthesizes gibberellic acid (GA3), a plant hormone that activates the synthesis and secretion of α-amylase. The purpose o...